Cultural Adjustment in Germany: What Surprises Nepali Students First

Your first weeks in Germany will test you less in the lecture hall than at a locked supermarket door on a Sunday, at the row of bins behind your building and in the letters that arrive in German. None of these rules are hard once someone explains them. This guide does that for daily life; food and cooking and the Nepali community have guides of their own.

Time means the time on the clock

If you are used to schedules that flex by half an hour, adjust early. In Germany, 10:00 means 10:00 for a doctor, a flat viewing or a group project meeting. Arriving a few minutes early is normal. Turning up fifteen minutes late without a message gets noticed.

Universities add one twist. A class listed as "10:00 c.t." (cum tempore) starts at 10:15, a tradition known as the academic quarter. "s.t." (sine tempore) means it starts exactly on the hour. Check your timetable for these letters in the first week.

Most offices work by appointment (Termin). The registration office, the foreigners authority and many doctors expect you to book, and walking in without one can mean being sent home.

Direct is not rude

Germans tend to say what they mean. A professor may tell you a draft is weak without softening it, a flatmate may say plainly that the kitchen needs cleaning, and "no" means no. If you grew up saying "hajur" and agreeing to keep the peace, this takes getting used to. It cuts both ways, though: a clear "I cannot finish this by Friday" earns more respect than a polite yes followed by silence.

Sie or du?

German has two words for "you". Use the formal Sie, with Herr or Frau and the surname, for professors, officials, landlords and older people you do not know. Students use du with each other from the first day. If a professor or colleague offers du, accept it, but do not offer it first to someone senior to you.

Sundays and quiet hours

Sundays and public holidays are protected as days of rest under the Basic Law, and in practice nearly all shops close. Do the week's shopping on Saturday. If your flight lands on a Sunday, expect bakeries, petrol stations and shops in large railway stations to be your only options until Monday.

Your building will also have house rules (Hausordnung), normally with quiet times at night and on Sundays. The exact hours are in your rental contract or on a notice in the stairwell. Loud music, drilling or a late party during those hours is the quickest way to fall out with neighbours.

Bins, bottles and Pfand

Household rubbish is sorted into separate bins, typically paper, packaging, organic waste and everything else. Colours and rules differ by city, so ask your landlord or look up your city's waste guide rather than guessing.

Most single-use plastic bottles and drink cans carry a deposit, called Pfand. With the deposit logo on them, each one costs 25 cents extra, which you get back by returning it to any shop that sells such packaging. Keep a bag for empties and take it along when you shop.

The paperwork comes by post

Germany still runs on letters. Three catch newcomers out:

• Address registration. You must register within two weeks of moving into a flat. Several later steps depend on the registration certificate, so do it first.
• The broadcasting fee (Rundfunkbeitrag). It is EUR 18.36 a month per dwelling, whether or not you own a TV. In a shared flat only one person pays, so agree who registers and how you split it.
• Letters from your insurer, university or foreigners authority. They often carry deadlines. Open everything, translate it with an app if needed, and keep it in one folder.

A different kind of university

In most lectures nobody takes attendance, and nobody reminds you about exams. In many programmes you register for each exam yourself through the university portal by a fixed date, and missing it can push the exam to the next semester. Put the registration dates in your calendar in week one. Our guide to the German academic system covers credits, exams and grades.

Festivals, darkness and the first winter

Dashain and Tihar usually fall between late September and November, around the start of the winter semester, and they are ordinary working days in Germany. Plan your tika and video calls around lectures, and look for celebrations organised by Nepalis in your city through our guide to Nepali groups in Germany.

The bigger shock for many is the dark. From November it gets dark by late afternoon across much of the country, and grey weeks are common. Get outside in daylight, keep a routine and talk to someone early if your mood drops; the homesickness guide has practical steps.